As visitors stream into the 49th International Kolkata Book Fair at Salt Lake, a parallel fair — one of handicraft and cries of resistance — runs outside gate No. 5.
Around 20 to 25 artisans sit on the pavement, displaying handmade notebooks, home decor items, jewellery, paintings, itar and bookmarks on Tarpaulins laid out on footpaths. For them, this location is not a choice but the result of being denied space inside the fair.
Their absence from the main venue sparked conversations on the internet Images sourced by the correspondent
Several artisans, many of whom are students from Government Art College and Viswa-Bharati, claim they have been regular participants at the book fair for years but were not allotted stalls this year, with no official explanation.
Among those affected is Shalini Ghosh, founder of Adore Aakhore, who has been selling handmade notebooks at the book fair for nearly a decade.
“I have been doing this professionally for nine years, and I have a government artisan card, so do others here,” she said.
Ghosh added that she had been allowed to sit inside the fair from the beginning of her work but was denied space last year and again this year.
For the artisans, this location is not a choice but the result of being denied space inside the fair. Amit Datta
“No reason was given. Now we are sitting opposite gate No. 5. Social media support has helped because people are coming back to find us,” she said.
On January 27, the stalls were vandalised by some unknown people after the artisans shut their shops and returned home.
They came back the next morning to find things lying around. “We all got back things together and arranged everything. The support from the people, both on ground and social media, is overwhelming,” said Ghosh.
Their absence from the main venue sparked conversations on the internet, with writers, artists and readers questioning who gets to belong inside one of the city’s biggest cultural events — and who gets to decide the eligibility.
Several artisan claim they have been regular participants at the book fair for years but were not allotted stalls this year, with no official explanation. Amit Datta
“The book fair belongs to us. It is not anyone’s private property. These small Bengali businesses selling stationery, handmade jewellery and other items have always been a part of the book fair, but they are no longer being allowed to sit inside. A book fair is not just about selling books. If that were the case, there would be no momo or egg roll stalls. All the shopkeepers who were denied space are now sitting opposite gate No. 5, and it is our responsibility to stand by them,” Aritra Biswas, a regular visitor to the book fair, wrote on social media.
Another visitor, Trina Sarkar, also questioned the idea of a cultural space that sidelines creators. “I saw my friends sitting outside on the footpath, their carefully made products being walked over by crowds. They were still smiling, but I kept wondering what kind of art space pushes artists away,” she wrote.
Readers, too, noticed the absence. “I searched for these stalls inside the book fair but couldn’t find them. The police told me they weren’t allowed inside. If I had known earlier, I would have come outside to buy from them,” said fair visitor Soumyadeep Roy.
An artisan selling handcrafted jewellery Images sourced by the correspondent
Another Facebook post by artisan Subhankar Haldar urged visitors to seek them out. “There may be no place for notebooks inside the book fair, but we are right outside. Nothing can stop us,” he wrote.
Speaking to My Kolkata, general secretary of Publishers and Booksellers Guild, Tridib Kumar Chatterjee, said, “For the past few years, we have not allowed the artisans right outside the book fair on the pavement due to safety concerns. There were instances where they were making illegal electric connections, posing fire threats.”
“It became extremely crowded and caused hindrance to the pedestrians. As for allowing them inside, there were cases where the stalls were illegally given out to them. The guild has decided not to assign them stalls anymore. Also, we did not receive any stall requests from anyone this year,” added Chatterjee.
For now, the artisans continue to sit outside the gates, hoping footfall, word of mouth and public support will help sustain their craft.
